Advanced foam core/glass fiber composite materials are emerging as one of the best candidates for building construction. Many exciting merits such as a superior strength to weight ratio, low cost, flexibility of manufacturing and disposal of industrial waste, project Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC) as a leading candidate for next generation construction material. Using this technology, different manufacturers design and construct sandwich composite homes, using panels of expanded polystyrene, which were coated on either side after assembly with GFRC. The fusion of the concrete composite and polystyrene provides sufficiently high structural strength that the entire house, including walls, floors, ceilings and roof, could be built without standard wood framing, nails, screws and bolts. However, the poor fire rating of their GFRC material prevents them from building commercial buildings and going to a wider market.
The current solution for the above stated problem would be to use flame retardant coatings. These types of coatings have been widely used since the 1970s, but they have a serious drawback. Recent research shows that, more than 90% of fire related deaths are not caused by the flames but by the emission of toxic and corrosive gases—many of which come from the fire-retardant coatings themselves. So it becomes extremely important to develop alternative solutions. Researchers have developed a way of coating surfaces with nanoparticles of flame-retardant oxides of aluminum or silicon. This requires high temperature during application, limiting its use to steel and aluminum rather than the inside walls of houses where it is most needed.
Needs exist for improved flame-retardant materials, particularly for construction.